Banderas Bay Regatta XXXIII Wraps Up in Mexico

The 33rd Banderas Bay Regatta was held on March 17–21 in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico. After all the administrative tasks were completed, the event kicked off on Tuesday, March 17, with a Welcome Reception at Vallarta Yacht Club. Wednesday’s boat parade saw sailors dressed for this year’s theme, “Tales from Vallartaville,” followed by practice starts for those looking to get a good lead the next day.

Racing began on Thursday in classic Banderas Bay conditions: sunshine, blue water and a steady 10–15 knots. The course took sailors south to the Puerto Vallarta sea buoy, then back north toward La Cruz. Despite the fun and frivolity, sailors take this regatta seriously. Patsy Verhoeven’s Talion took the first bullet in the Margarita Division (Cruising), a lead they retained across the second and third days of racing.

Other divisions included Cheeseburger (Cruising), Flip Flop (Multihull), and Pirate (Performance) divisions, with the top three in each class being awarded a trophy.

But there was even more at stake than winning races — the regatta also celebrated boats that put a good amount of effort into the social side of the event.

“Here in Vallartaville, we also like to celebrate the boats that may have leaned just a little harder into the social side of the event,” the organizers said regarding the regatta’s legendary Blender Awards — “for the boats that were clearly more committed to making margaritas than making gains.” Mony (Cruising), Cricket (Mulithull), and Crew2 (Performance) were each awarded a blender!

The regatta was not without mishap. Some boats were unable to make all three starts; others had troubles on the water. Day two saw Alcyone and Mony staying behind, Dreadnought had sail problems, and Hey Ya could not seem to keep either the tack line or the spinnaker halyard in one piece. “Before long, there was enough gear in the water to make it look suspiciously like they had switched from sailboat racing to shrimp fishing.” Regardless, the committee says it was still “a first-class day of racing.” And then there were the whales to consider …

While the first two days of racing showed off the beauty of Banderas Bay, the last day’s starters took off in 20+ knot breezes.

The committee is now enjoying a short break before they start organizing next year’s event. Check out the full report and results here, and keep an eye out for Banderas Bay Regatta XXXIV. You might want to sign up.